Bengal defeated hosts Hyderabad by four wickets to pick four points from the Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match on Friday.
Resuming their second innings at 72 for 2, Bengal scored 188 runs, losing four more wickets. Skipper Deep Dasgupta scored an unbeaten 50 to put his team on top of the Group B table with 12 points.
Hyderabad had piled 309 and dismissed Bengal for 200 in the first innings. But Bengal bounced back after speedster Ranadeb Bose wrecked Hyderabad's second essay with a seven-wicket haul for 25 runs, as they were bundled out for just 76.
Required to score 186 for an outright victory, the visitors lost two wickets for 72 on Thursday, but skipper Dasgpta did well to guide the team to victory just after lunch today.
With victory at sight, the Bengal batsmen kept their cool but young Absolem accounted for overnight batsmen Jhunjhunwala (39) and Manoj Tiwary (23) which brought in Dasgupta to the crease.
S Lahiri (29) gave the skipper good company but was trapped by PK Reddy.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla (4) followed him soon before Gupta and the experienced Rohan Gavaskar scored the remaining runs to log four points.
For the hosts, MP Arjun and A Absolem claimed two wickets apiece while PK Reddy and P Ojha took one wicket each.
Scorecard
Hyderabad (1st innings): 309
Bengal (1st innings): 200
Hyderabad (2nd innings): 76
Bengal (2nd innings): (overnight 72 for 2)
Arindam Das c Khaleel b Arjun 10
A P Chakraborty lbw b Arjun 8
A A Jhunjhunwala lbw b Absolem 39
M Tiwary c Khaleel b Absolem 23
D Dasgupta (not out) 50
S S Lahiri lbw b Reddy 29
L R Shukla st Khaleel b Ojha 4
R S Gavaskar not out 14
Extras: (lb-10, b-1) 11
Total: (for 6 wickets in 76.4 overs) 188
Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-29, 3-82, 4-87, 5-160, 6-165
Bowling: P K Reddy 20.4-8-58-1, A Absolem 17-7-26-2, M P Arjun 19-5-34-2, P Ojha 20-6-59-1.
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